Americans on food stamps will see a reduction in benefits starting Friday.
For a family of four on the maximum allowed benefits, that's $36 less per month on the food table.
The reduction of benefits is expected to have a large effect on struggling Utah families who rely on the services that help put food on the table. The reduction of benefits is also expected to have a huge ripple effect on grocers who benefit when food stamp users shop in their stores.
So why the cut?
President Obama built Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) allocations into his 2009 stimulus plan, but those are coming to an end.
According to the Center of Budget and Policy Priorities, the cuts will impact nearly 47 million Americans, including 22 million children on food stamps and 9 million elderly or seriously disabled people.
Many anti-poverty groups have warned that cutting the program will leave millions of Americans vulnerable.
A senate version of the next farm bill, which funds food stamps, proposed cutting nearly $4 billion over 10 years. The one in he house cuts $39 billion more.
As congress debated the cuts to the program, charities said they are preparing for the farm bill reductions as well.
